After years of legal drama, bureaucratic foot-dragging, and political theater, North Carolina is finally on track to get something very basic.
Good evening,
After years of legal drama, bureaucratic foot-dragging, and political theater, North Carolina is finally on track to get something very basic: a second major natural gas pipeline.
MVP Southgate just received its long-delayed water quality permit from the state Department of Environmental Quality. This development is excellent news for North Carolina’s electricity customers and industrial consumers.
For years, North Carolina has depended on a single interstate pipeline, Transco. It’s been “fully subscribed,” which is a polite way of saying that it is at maximum capacity. Meanwhile, our population has boomed, data centers and factories are lining up to plug in, and electricity demand is expected to soar.
So, why did it take this long?
Part of the explanation is political. Consider the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), a separate project intended to deliver natural gas to eastern North Carolina. After years of delays, questionable concessions—including a proposed fund controlled by the governor—and shifting regulatory obstacles, the project was ultimately abandoned. I filed an ethics complaint concerning the proposed fund under Gov. Roy Cooper’s control; the State Ethics Commission later dismissed the complaint.
The Cooper administration tried a lot of the same games with MVP Southgate. Only after Congress cleared the main MVP line, state lawmakers tightened DEQ’s rules with House Bill 600, and federal regulators extended the project, did the bureaucracy finally run out of excuses.
This matters for more than pipeline maps.
The U.S. Department of Energy is warning that blackout risks in the Carolinas could skyrocket as we rush to close coal plants and lean too heavily on wind and solar. Natural gas is still the “reliability fuel that keeps the lights on.”
MVP Southgate isn’t just a pipe in the ground. It’s a test of whether North Carolina is serious about affordable, dependable energy, or content to let activist regulators gamble with our grid and our wallets.
You can read more about North Carolina’s energy challenges here, here, and here.
Esse quam videri,
Donald Bryson
CEO
John Locke Foundation
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Recently, the John Locke Foundation hosted an event discussing its report on expanding educational options for K-12 students
The vast majority (92%) of private school leaders surveyed expect demand for their services to grow and plan to expand capacity over the next few years.
The main challenges preventing growth or new schools from opening are:
Expensive and time-consuming zoning and building regulations.
Such as requiring approval from technical review committees, and dealing with complex environmental classifications.
Lack of adequate funding.
A significant percentage of private school leaders (67%) cited a lack of funding as a minor or moderate reason for not having expansion plans.
Organizations like The Drexel Fund work to connect current and prospective school leaders with funding for their expansion projects, and offer seed funding.
Incentivizing private donations via tax credits could be another way to supplement other revenue sources.
Difficulties in navigating regulations associated with state school choice programs.
Administrative delays in scholarship funding can cause schools to struggle to pay teachers and provide necessary student services.
To manage these programs effectively, Locke’s report advised schools to build administrative capacity, network with other experienced schools, and plan for compliance, though some problems require changes to state law to fix.
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge of 1776 was a foundational event that significantly contributed to the country's independence and the Declaration of Independence.
Royal Governor Josiah Martin fled North Carolina and devised a plan to crush the rebellion by rallying up to 10,000 Loyalists (primarily Scottish Highlanders) to link up with a major British force of 7,000 regulars sailing south to Wilmington.
As the Loyalist Tory Highlanders marched east to meet the British fleet, they were engaged by gathering Patriot militia forces led by Alexander Lillington, Richard Caswell, and James Moore at Moore's Creek Bridge.
The Highlanders suffered a devastating loss and were scattered in defeat, effectively crushing the Loyalist uprising.
The victory essentially ended British authority in North Carolina, providing the encouragement needed for the North Carolina representatives to issue the Halifax Resolves, which was the first official action by a colonial government calling for complete independence from Great Britain, and a crucial step towards self-governance.
The Supreme Court has announced it will review the birthright citizenship executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
The order aims to restrict birthright citizenship, particularly for children born in the U.S. whose parents are on temporary visas.
If the order had been in effect in 1964, Kamala Harris, whose parents were on temporary visas, would not have obtained birthright citizenship and would not be eligible to run for president.
Our Senior Fellow’s personal opinion is that the Supreme Court will ultimately find the order violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
If the Supreme Court strikes down the order, the only remaining option for those seeking to restrict birthright citizenship will be to amend the Constitution.
